Country Music Hall of Fame · Inducted 2006
Country Music Hall of Fame · Inducted 2006
Historical perspective
Sonny’s run of consecutive No. 1 country singles, set against the No. 1 pop and rock records of the very same months.
The Beatles, the Stones … and Sonny James
The table below places Sonny’s consecutive No. 1 country streak of the mid-1960s and early ’70s alongside the No. 1 pop/rock recording of the same month and year.
Seen in context, it’s remarkable: while the British Invasion, Motown and the singer-songwriters were reshaping popular music, the music of Sonny James remained in such demand that release after release went to No. 1 — year after year.
| Listen | Song | Peak | Charted | Weeks on Chart | #1 Pop/Rock That Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Young Love | #1 | December 1956 | 24 Weeks | Young Love - Sonny James |
| Play | You're The Only World I Know | #1 | November 1964 | 25 Weeks | Baby Love - The Supremes |
| Play | I'll Keep Holding On (Just to Your Love) | #2 | March 1965 | 20 Weeks | Eight Days A Week - The Beatles |
| Play | Behind The Tear | #1 | October 1965 | 22 Weeks | Yesterday - The Beatles |
| Play | True Love's A Blessing | #3 | December 1965 | 18 Weeks | Get Off Of My Cloud - The Rolling Stones |
| Play | Take Good Care of Her | #1 | April 1966 | 20 Weeks | 19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones |
| Play | Room In Your Heart | #2 | August 1966 | 20 Weeks | Summer In The City - Lovin’ Spoonful |
| The streak begins — 16 consecutive No. 1 singles | |||||
| Play | Need You | #1 | April 1967 | 18 Weeks | Happy Together - Turtles |
| Play | I'll Never Find Another You | #1 | June 1967 | 17 Weeks | Respect - Aretha Franklin |
| Play | It's The Little Things | #1 | August 1967 | 18 Weeks | All You Need Is Love - The Beatles |
| Play | A World of Our Own | #1 | January 1968 | 17 Weeks | Hello Goodbye - The Beatles |
| Play | Heaven Says Hello | #1 | June 1968 | 17 Weeks | Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel |
| Play | Born to Be with You | #1 | October 1968 | 16 Weeks | Hey Jude - The Beatles |
| Play | Only the Lonely | #1 | January 1969 | 16 Weeks | I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye |
| Play | Running Bear | #1 | May 1969 | 15 Weeks | Get Back - The Beatles |
| Play | Since I Met You Baby | #1 | September 1969 | 15 Weeks | Honky Tonk Women - The Rolling Stones |
| Play | It's Just a Matter of Time | #1 | January 1970 | 14 Weeks | I Want You Back - The Jackson 5 |
| Play | My Love | #1 | April 1970 | 15 Weeks | Let It Be - The Beatles |
| Play | Don't Keep Me Hangin' On | #1 | July 1970 | 15 Weeks | The Love You Save - The Jackson 5 |
| Play | Endlessly | #1 | October 1970 | 16 Weeks | I’ll Be There - The Jackson 5 |
| Play | Empty Arms | #1 | February 1970 | 16 Weeks | Lonely Days - The Bee Gees |
| Play | Bright Lights, Big City | #1 | June 1971 | 13 Weeks | It’s Too Late - Carole King |
| Play | Here Comes Honey Again | #1 | September 1971 | 15 Weeks | How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - The Bee Gees |
| The streak ends | |||||
| Play | Only Love Can Break A Heart | #2 | January 1972 | 16 Weeks | American Pie - Don McLean |
| Play | That's Why I Love You Like I Do | #1 | May 1972 | 11 Weeks | The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack |
| Play | When the Snow Is on the Roses | #1 | July 1972 | 15 Weeks | Lean On Me - Bill Withers |
| Play | Is It Wrong (For Loving You) | #1 | March 1974 | 15 Weeks | Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks |
Billboard rankings from Joel Whitburn’s Billboard Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Cashbox pop/rock No. 1 singles researched by Randy Price. Montage videos courtesy of Richard Custer.